King: Champion and Survivor
by KingLover
Summary: This is the story of King, a pro wrestler from Mexico City, and a very famous one at that. This story talks about how he is able to build a successful life for himself in spite of everything he went through as a child. Will he be happy? Or will the grief that consumed him upon losing his parents and memories of his hard life as a street brawler continue to break him apart?
1. His Tragic Beginning

In a hospital in Mexico City, a couple radiated happiness in their room. They had just become the parents of a boy, who, like them, had light tan skin and dark hair. His face was flushed pink and his cries punctured the sterile hospital air. The doctor dried him off and wrapped him in a receiving blanket. His father took him in his arms and he became quiet. His green eyes were wide with curiosity, and then he started to squeal playfully.

The man took him to his wife, who was resting, exhausted from delivering the baby. He gently tapped her shoulder, getting her attention, and her eyes filled with delight and she smiled open-mouthed. The baby reached out to her. She took him in her arms, and both parents watched him in silent joy. His father reached out and tickled his cheek. The baby held his father's finger in his tiny hand.

The quiet was interrupted when the doctor asked what they would like to name him.

"Rey." said the man. It was a name that would come to fit him in the future.

"Mama, Papa, come on!" four-year-old Rey called to his parents. He had sped ahead of them in childish glee, eager to claim of front row seat, wanting to view the wrestling action as close as possible. He loved wrestling. He admired the luchadores who fought for different causes and long to one day become big and strong like them. His parents caught up to him at the entrance, where they the fee and went in. They were one of the first to arrive, so they quickly found seats in the front deck. Rey stood up in anticipation and waited for action to start.

Once the room was filled, the bell rang and everyone cheered. The referee welcomed them to the match and called the announced for the fighters to enter the ring. Rey's excitement climbed higher as the luchadores appeared before the audience and pumped up for the fight. The match began, and Rey cheered along with the audience as the two masked wrestlers scuttled and shifted and ran back and forth, preforming various moves as they did. One attacked the other with a German suplex, who responded with a tombstone piledriver, and it was all over.

Rey cheered loudly for the winner, and his parents watched him with happiness and the certainty that he wanted to be a luchadore when he grew up. Which was exactly what he wanted

Three years later, the now seven-year-old Rey was outside, beating the punching bag hanging from the large oak in their backyard. After the told his parents what he wanted to be, they purchased work out equipment for him-strengthening machines and weights of various heft and the bag he was currently punching-and he had been working on them every day, sometimes with help from his father. But he was becoming muscular for his age, and at the rate he trained it wouldn't be long before he could carry any weight almost with ease.

Inside, he heard the phone ring, and through the kitchen window he saw his mother go to answer it. Still punching, he watched her face as the conversation flowed back and forth between her and whoever was on the other end. Her blue eyes widened just a bit. Then her mouth opened wide and she covered it with her mouth. Her eyes teared up as she replied, and Rey stopped punching. She nodded and hung up, then looked at Rey from the window, her tears now trailing down her cheeks. She opened the sliding glass door and went out to him.

"What's wrong, Mama?" he asked.

"It's...it's Papa." she said, her voice wobbly. "He…he was st-stabbed…on the way home from work."

Rey gasped.

"Someone called an ambulance for him," his mother continued, "but it was too late."

"So, you mean Papa's…"

His mother nodded. "Papa's dead, mijo."

Rey's vision went blurry as his own eyes became teary. His mother wrapped him in her arms as he began to cry. The reality that his father wouldn't be there as he grew up, when he married and had his first child, or even when he faced off against his first opponent in the wrestling ring, was agony to think about.

But however hard he tried not to think about it, he couldn't control the tears for a long time.

A few days later, Rey and his mother donned black formal wear and walked to the cemetery where his father would be buried. Even at his young age, he knew it was pointless to cry, he knew it wouldn't bring his father back, but no matter how many times he blinked, he couldn't stop them from escaping. His mother took her hand and squeezed it, telling him without words that they were suffering from the same pain.

Suddenly, there came a loud bang, and Rey fell to the ground and covered his head. A moment passed with no further sounds, and he cautiously looked up. Across the street, he saw a man running, and a police car chased after him, the siren wailing. Only then did he look up at his mother, and he gasped.

She had both hands pressed to her hip, which was bleeding, soaking her black dress red. Rey tried to catch her as she fell backward and leaned against the cement wall they had been walking along, choking. Her knees buckled and she slid down to a sitting position.

"Mama. Mama." Rey said, fear threatening to take over his voice. "It's okay, Mama. We'll call for help. We'll-"

But her face went pale as she could no longer breathe. She released her breath, and her eyes turned glassy and closed. Rey didn't dare to believe it was true.

"Mama!" he cried, shaking her as if trying to wake her up. "Mama, no! No!" He buried his face in her stomach and sobbed, hugging her lifeless body close to his own. "I can't lose you, too. I can't-"

Another police car rolled up to the boy and his dead mother, and two officers stepped out. Rey looked up at them, choking on sobs.

"What happened?" one of the officers asked him. Saying nothing, he looked back toward his mother's body. The other officer checked for a pulse, and shook his head.

The first officer turned to apologize to Rey, but he was gone.

The orphaned boy had run back to his house and sat on the steps leading to the door, sobbing his broken heart out. He kept asking himself how this could happen to him. What were the odds of him losing both his parents at too early an age? Who could be so cruel as to tear them from his life? He was then struck with a horrifying realization: he would now be sent to the orphanage, to which he couldn't imagine going. It ran on the littlest of budgets, and its conditions were terrible. That meant there was only one option for him: to live on the streets.

He had to accept that this meant he would have to fight to survive, but he was tough and determined and grew stronger every day since he said his dream out loud. Maybe one day he could build a new, better life for himself, one that his parents would be proud of him for living. With the little bit of comfort brought to him by the idea, he set out for the streets. He didn't take any keepsakes because he wanted to learn to fend for himself.

He would have to now that he was all alone in the world.

After toughing out a cold, windy night, Rey observed his parents' funeral the next morning from a distance. He could see their coffins positioned side-by-side under a massive flowering tree and the people dressed in black who had come to pay their respects. The priest gave a speech bidding them farewell, then said something that hit Rey hard.

"It is unknown what happened to their son, Rey. He disappeared before police could take him to the orphanage. Let us send our prayers to him as well, and let us hope that he will rebound from this great tragedy and that his life will recover."

At the moment, Rey was absolutely doubtful that his life would get better. He'd only been a street urchin for a day and already survival was a struggle. But a life at the unstable, uncomfortable orphanage was unacceptable, and his spirit wouldn't let him give in.

He would tough this life on the streets out. For the foreseeable future.

Several weeks later, two groups of street urchins faced off. They were dirty and their clothes were tattered. They cast smug smiles back and forth.

"Do I feel a fight coming on?" the lead boy in one group asked.

"No duh, genius." said the leader of the other group. "Lucky I'm in a good mood, so I'll go easy on you."

"Ha ha ha! I wouldn't hold back even if I was happy as a triathlete who just won a marathon. You'd better give it all you've got."

"Well now, what's going on here?" Both parties turned to face the new arrival. Rey stood before them, topless and with messy hair. He folded his arms. "You guys weren't about to engage in a rumble now, were you?"

"That's what street brawlers do, isn't it?" one leader asked. He grinned. "Say, you're buff for a kid. What's say Geraldo and I take you on together?" He jerked his head toward the other leader, and they both got into a fighting stance.

"It appears I'm being challenged." said Rey. "It certainly isn't in me to refuse."

The other street urchins backed away, steering clear of the fighting and allowing themselves a perfect view of it. The three boys engaged in combat, but unfortunately for Rey, despite his head start on developing his strength and skill, the two-against-one odds were against him. Geraldo grabbed him from behind while his partner punched him three times in the face, leaving him with a swelling eye, a bloody nose, and a bruising cheek. Geraldo released him and he tried to grab the opponent in front of him, but the pain from his wounds made him dizzy. The leader punched him in the chest and kicked him in the stomach, sending him sprawling to the ground. His opponents repeatedly kicked him until he gave up.

Everyone laughed at his helpless, beaten form, curled up in a ball, his hands clasping his throbbing chest, moaning in pain. "Where were those skills of yours, dude?" someone called to him. "Oh, that's right, you have no skill!" More laughter, then the parties left him.

Rey was becoming weak from his injuries, and he started to crawl, he didn't know where, away from where he was. It didn't help that it was evening and cold winds started to blow, stiffening his body and making movement difficult. Finally, he could go no further and collapsed and passed out from the pain.

One of the polished wood doors of the monastery opened, and two Marquez priests stepped out onto the top step. "Oh my." one of them said upon seeing the wounded and unconscious boy on the sidewalk. They picked him up and carried him inside the monastery, where they doctored his wounds. Rey woke up and saw the priests' kind faces looking down at him.

"Well hello, son." one of them said. "My, you look like you were in a bad fight."

"I was." Rey said weakly. "I was beaten really badly. I think I might have died."

"If we hadn't found you, that would've been very likely." the other priest agreed. "But don't worry. You're safe with us. Do you know where your parents are?"

The question made Rey hurt. "They're dead." he whispered, holding back tears. "Please don't take me to the orphanage. I've seen what the conditions are like. I can't stand the thought of living in them."

The priests nodded. "Yes, the orphanage is in dire need of improvement." one said. "It's because it has too little money. Maybe if it had someone to take care of it, the conditions would be much better."

A light bulb went off in Rey's throbbing head. "Me." he said. "When I grow up I'll become a luchadore. I'll fight to support orphans around the world, and I'll help fund the orphanage." He sat up, feeling less weak. "I'll become a role model for children. I'll help keep their lives from falling apart like mine did. And I'll set about putting my life back together. I'll live a life my parents would be proud of me for living."

The priests smiled, admiring the boy's brave decisions. One of them patted him on the back. "We know you can do it." he said.

They led Rey to a small bedroom and told him to call for them if he needed anything, then they left him alone. He walked over to the window and, in the final rays of light, vowed to himself,

"I _will_ save the lives of orphaned and homeless children. They'll have nothing to worry about. Because I'll do whatever it takes to keep them safe and happy."

He looked up at the heavens. "I promise the Lord. And I promise my parents."

End of Chapter One


	2. He Is Thriving

He was in the backstage area of the arena, preparing for the fight. He stood listening to the excited crowd chant his name, anticipating the moment when he would walk out of the backstage area and make his way to the ring. He had become a famous luchadore, a _very_ famous one. For he promised himself many, many years ago that he would.

He was ready.

The crowd went wild upon seeing him walk towards the ring. The announcer introduced him.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Now making his way to the ring from Mexico City, weighing in at 270 lbs., here is-"

He entered the ring and removed the fur cape he had been wearing.

"KING!"

The roar of the crowd was deafening as King showed his appeal and pumped up for the match. His opponent stood before him, the bell rang, and the fight began. However hard King's opponent tried to land his attacks, he was simply too fast and evasive. King performed a suplex on him and dodged his attempted counter attack. He then used a Giant Swing on him.

He did his trademark point toward the opposing luchadore before concluding the match with a series of attacks ending in his specialty: the Muscle Buster. The crowd stood up and cheered for the winner, louder than they had been earlier. King acknowledged them with profound kindness and thanks, beaming with happiness over his victory. He had won many tournaments in his career, but the joy of winning never wore off.

As he was headed to the locker room, someone called out to him, "Hey! King!" The luchadore turned and saw his tag partner and friend, Craig Marduk, walking up to him.

"Craig!" he said happily. They clasped their hands together. "So what's good, man? How'd your match go?"

"Too easy." the Vale Tudo fighter replied. "Think I might've intimidated my opponent with my size." King agreed his friend's hulking build did look intimidating. "I roughed him up real good."

"Yeah, I bet you did."

King and Marduk both turned at the voice. Behind them stood a muscular dark-skinned man in steel armor and a black jaguar mask. One of the green eyes was scratched and turned red, and they were narrowed unpleasantly at Marduk. His arms were folded.

"Well, if it isn't Armor King." Marduk said grudgingly. "Got something to say or did you just come for a friendly banter?"

"Funny. Real funny." Armor King shook his head, annoyed. He gestured to both of the friends. "It's us in the ring tomorrow. If you think Jaycee and I will show you even the little bit of mercy, you've been drinking too much." His eyes grew especially cold when he said the last part.

"Ha! King and I don't expect any mercy from anybody, especially not you." said Marduk. "It's gonna go down hard tomorrow. Can't wait."

"Took the words right out of my mouth." said Armor King. And as he passed the friends, he looked at King without emotion and flatly added, "King." Then he was gone.

King and Marduk looked at him as he went, then Marduk grunted in annoyance. "Damn, he's such a pain." he said.

"And that part where he said we've been drinking too much," King added, "I think that was directed more to you than both of us. You know, 'cause of what happened with you and his brother."

"Yeah. I didn't even mean to kill his brother, and he still hates me." Marduk smiled kindly at King. "He was your mentor, too, but you forgave me."

"Of course." King returned the smile. "You know me. How kind, compassionate, and understanding I am."

"That's one of your best qualities, buddy." Marduk patted King on the back. "You may be a tough fighter, but you've got a kind heart."

King laughed. "Thanks, man." he said. "Anyway, I'm gonna go grab a shower. I'll see you in the ring tomorrow."

After King showered, he changed into his outdoor clothes and headed for home. As he was walking, a few fans pointed out to him and said hi, and he smiled at them and said hi back or waved. He loved greeting and interacting with his fans, especially the younger ones. Just like when he was a child and admired luchadores, the children of his present not only admired him, but they idolized him. He was approached by a number of young fans wanting to tell him that they wanted to be like him when they grew up. And he would always respond by telling them to work their hardest to achieve that dream, and not let anything stop them.

At one point, King heard a woman call out his name and he turned around to see a long-time friend approaching.

"Julia! Hey!" he said happily. The Native American caught up to him and they walked side-by-side. "How've you been?"

"Working my butt off trying to revive the forest in Arizona, of course." she said. King had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. Julia had been working on reviving Arizona's forest for as long as he could remember since he'd known her. She knew almost nothing else. "But my mom finally insisted that I take a break, so I went out for the day."

"It's good to take a load off sometimes." said King. "If you overwork yourself, you'll just get exhausted."

"Yeah. Anyway, how about some cold drinks? It's always so hot here in Mexico."

"I'm used to the heat, but I could use a drink. I just came back from an intense wrestling match."

The friends found a café with glass tables and chairs outside, shaded by umbrellas. King took a seat at one of them while Julia ran inside to get their beverages. He sat with his arms folded in front of him and watched the people on the streets walk by, smiling and waving when they pointed him out. At peace until he felt someone poke him on the shoulder. He turned around and saw Armor King standing over him, sporting workout clothes.

"Armor King?" he said. "What's up?"

The black jaguar-masked luchadore was nervous, fidgeting. King had never seen him like that before, and it felt unnerving. Armor King looked behind him at the café Julia had gone into, then he leaned down and spoke quietly to King.

"Hey, um," he began, "could you, um, help me with something?"

King turned around in his chair to fully face Armor King, rattled. "Seriously?" he said flatly. "You want me to help you after how you've been treating me?"

"Please, man. Just help me with this." Armor King pleaded. "Just this once and I won't ask you for anything again."

King sighed. "Alright. What is it?"

"Um, um, it's, uh, you're Julia friend? The Native American?"

"I know who you're talking about. We've been friends for a long time." King was starting to get impatient. "What about her?"

Armor King hesitated, then whispered softly into King's ear, "She's hot."

King pulled back. "You want me to hook you up with Julia?"

"Please, King? Just introduce me to her, tell me about her. And I'm being honest here, I've had my eye on her for a while."

"You're good one or the one you didn't take care to cover during a fight?"

Armor King's face went slack. "You're an ass." he muttered.

"Fine, I'll help you get with her." King finally agreed.

"Thanks King, but don't think this lightens my dislike of you." said Armor King.

"I was about to say the same thing." King looked past Armor King and saw Julia emerge from with café, carrying two iced beverages. "Here she comes now." Armor King went ridged, but King pulled him over to meet her.

"Who's this, King?" she asked.

"Julia, this is Armor-" King's introduction abruptly cut off when Armor King fell flat on his mask, overcome with nervousness. King helped him back up. "Julia, this is my wrestling opponent, Armor King."

"Hi, Armor King." Julia said politely.

The black-masked luchadore just looked at her anxiously, visibly trembling. King nudged him with his elbow. "Well, go on, say hello." he urged.

"I-I-um-" Armor King struggled with what words he could get out. He put one hand behind his mask, the other clenched tightly into a fist. "I-um-uh, I-uh-" Julia looked at him in confusion as he struggled to speak. Then suddenly he exclaimed, "Bye!" and dashed away. The friends looked after him with strange looks.

"Okay, that was weird." said Julia. She looked at King. "What was wrong with him, King? Do you know?"

"Yeah, but if I told you he would personally deliver me to Suplex City." King muttered. "He doesn't like me very much."

"He entrusted you with a secret even though he doesn't like you?" Julia smiled a little. "If you ask me, I think that's a slight loosen of the air between you two."

King was surprised at this, but he knew asking Julia if she meant it would be pointless. She always spoke the truth with him. Instead, he smiled at her, and his emerald eyes appeared to sparkle.

"You're a good friend, Julia. You know that?" he said, and they walked toward the table he sat at with their drinks.

Of course she knew it.

End of Chapter Two


	3. Matters of Teamwork and the Heart

"That sounds terrible." Julia said sadly, shaking her head. She and King were talking about what had happened since they last saw each other, and King told her about the rivalry between Marduk and Armor King and how Armor King disliked King for forgiving Marduk.

"It is." King said. "And the worst part is, I'm caught in the middle of them." He sighed. "I don't know what to do, Jules. About this conflict between my best friend and my mentor's brother. I don't know if I should even try."

"Don't worry, King. Remember how you realized that killing Craig for revenge wouldn't fix anything? And how you were able to reconcile the differences between you and Craig after he publicly made fun of your mentor?"

"Yeah."

"Well, then maybe Armor King will come to realize that taking revenge on Craig isn't the answer, just like you did."

"I sure hope so." King looked worried. "I really don't want him to make the same mistakes I almost made."

Julia smiled and gently touched King's shoulder. "You saw the error of your ways. He will, too."

King started chuckling. "He's probably bumming over the many errors he made trying to say hello to you."

Julia remembered Armor King nervously stuttering and laughed. "Yeah, I'll bet he is!" The friends started laughing together. When they finally calmed down, King stood up from the shaded table.

"Well, I should get going now." he said. "Get ready for tomorrow's match. I hope you'll cheer for me and Craig."

"Of course. I'm always rooting for you. Good luck!"

When King got home, he started training vigorously. Seriousness overtook his mask as he lifted weights and practiced wrestling moves, as it always did when he was about to face a particularly strong opponent. The last thing he wanted was to let someone like Armor King surpass him in strength and skill.

He was determined to always be worthy of the title King.

By nighttime, his body was shiny with sweat and his muscles were throbbing from a good workout. He went up to his room, slipped off his damp outer clothes, and crawled into bed. In spite of how excited he was about the upcoming wrestling match, he slept soundly, not opening his eyes again until the next morning. He jumped straight out of bed, eager to get ready to face Armor King.

The bell didn't ring until 7 that evening, so King worked out to pass time. He kept glancing at the clock in his living room, begging for seven o' clock to roll around. Not often did a wrestling match make him this excited and unsettled, but when it did, it was almost torturous.

 _Come on! Come on!_ he thought impatiently. _Why is time going so slow?_

But then, at about 5:45 p.m., there came the sound of tires screeching on pavement, followed by a crash and several screams.

King gasped and ran to the wide living room window. Several yards ahead of him, he could see a car on its side against a tree. The windshield and front door windows were broken, and steam leaked out of the engine. People gathered around the crash site, some were helping whoever was inside the car get out. King ran outside and was quickly joined by Julia.

"A car accident?" said Julia. "How awful." King silently agreed.

An ambulance arrived, wheeling a gurney toward the wreckage. The rescue volunteers got the car back on all four wheels, and they yanked the mangled driver seat door open. Behind the wheel was a young woman with long brown hair. She wore a pink blouse and a denim skirt. She was barely conscious and moaning in pain. King suddenly recognized her.

"Jaycee." he said quietly. "Armor King's tag partner. She's supposed to be in the ring this evening."

"How's Armor King going to fight without a tag partner?" Julia asked.

King didn't answer right away. A volunteer unbuckled Jaycee's seatbelt, and the ambulance crew helped her onto the gurney. Her left leg was broken at the knee. They wheeled her into the ambulance and drove away.

King took out his cell phone. "I've gotta call Craig and Armor King." he said. "Tell them to meet me at the hospital."

"I'm coming with you." Julia said.

"No. This isn't an issue for you."

"I'm worried about how Armor King will manage without Jaycee." Julia's concern for Armor King surprised King. "I need to know that he'll be okay. And her, too. Please King, let me come with you." King thought for a few seconds.

"Alright, Julia." he said. "Come on." King contacted Marduk and Armor King and told them the situation, then he and Julia hurried to the hospital.

A few minutes later, they were standing beside Jaycee's hospital bed, watching her. Her leg was in a cast, and she was sedated. For a few moments they were silent. Then King side-glanced at Julia and asked, "When did you start caring so much about Armor King, Jules?"

Julia thought about it. "I guess shortly after you told me about how he lost his brother." she answered. "I feel bad for him and I can't imagine what he's going through." She looked at King. "It hurts enough knowing what _you_ went through after he was killed."

They fell silent again, until King asked, "Can I take that to mean you're starting to like Armor King?"

Julia grinned. "Wouldn't jump to that conclusion." she said. "I don't know what he's really like yet. But I already know he's not fidgety and nervous like when you introduced him to me."

King chuckled. "Nope, he's not." he said.

Just then, Marduk appeared in the doorway, only to be slammed into it by a worried-to-death Armor King.

"Jaycee!" he cried, rushing to her bedside and kneeling over her. His hand hovered over her forehead, but didn't touch her. The look on his mask, worry and sadness combined, made both King and Julia ache inside. Marduk joined them, grumbling for being shoved into the doorway. He took notice of Julia and smirked at her.

"Hey, King, who's your hot friend?" he asked, not taking his perverted eyes off Julia.

"This is Julia Chang." King introduced her, then whispered into Marduk's ear, "Count yourself lucky Armor King's focused on Jaycee right now, because he's got the major hots for Julia. And if he saw you coming onto her like this, he would beat your ass before the match starts."

King then sharply turned back, afraid that Armor King somehow heard that, but his attention was fully on his tag partner. His heterochromia eyes widened with realization. "Shit." he said under his breath, then glanced at the clock; it was 6:00. "Shit! The bell rings in an hour! There's no way Jaycee will make it!"

Armor King looked hopelessly at Marduk, then King. But when his eyes landed on Julia, a light bulb went off in his head.

"You..you could do it." he said, pointing at Julia.

"Huh?"

"Take her place." Armor King stood up and approached Julia. "I've seen you fight. You could totally fend for yourself in the wrestling ring."

"He's right." King jumped in. "You'd be just fine in there. You're almost as good as me, I know that."

"Look, guys, I can't-" Julia began.

"Please, Julia!" Armor King begged. "You look just like her. It's not like the fans are gonna notice. And do you really want me to go in there alone?"

"No, but-"

"Come on, Julia." King insisted, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Do it for Jaycee, for her fans. Do it for us." The three men looked at her, pleading with her to go.

Julia looked back and forth between Jaycee and the men. Finally, she sighed and said, "Okay, I'll go in her place."

"Oh thanks, Julia!" Armor King said with obvious relief.

"We know you can do it." King said.

Marduk smirked. "Don't worry, babe. I'll be gentle." he said wickedly.

Armor King whispered in Julia's ear, "He'll do no such thing." She was completely aware of that.

At 6:45, Julia and the men were in the locker rooms preparing for the match. Julia donned Jaycee's pink-and-white luchadora costume and tightly secured the mask's strap around the back of her neck. Armor King, prepped in his suit of steel armor, walked to the room she was preparing in to wish her luck, but stopped outside the slightly-open door to watch her. His eyes to swept down her body and back up, and his mask flushed.

 _She looks so damn hot in that costume,_ he thought. Then he shook his head to clear it. _What the hell, man! Don't peep on your tag partner!_ He composed himself and knocked on the door, entering after Julia gave the okay to do so.

"Hey." he said, feeling nervousness beginning to overtake him once again. He forced himself to remain calm. "I just wanted to wish you luck, although I doubt you'll need it."

"Thanks, Armor King." said Julia.

"Also, I wanted to thank you again for going in Jaycee's place. You're doing both me and her a huge favor. It's a good thing you were at the hospital with us. I would've had no one to turn to otherwise, and I don't know what I would've done."

Julia smiled. "You're welcome." she said. She started to look anxious. "I'm a little nervous about how I'll do out there."

"You shouldn't be. You know how to fight." Armor King looked her in the eye as he added, "You'll be just fine, Julia. I'm sure of it."

Julia looked at him kindly. "You have such certainty in my abilities. That's really touching to know."

Armor King's tail flicked, which Julia luckily didn't notice. "Uh..yeah." he simply said, and turned away so she wouldn't notice the bright red blush that stood out on his dull-colored mask. Julia could see he was nervous again and stifled a giggle.

 _I sure hope he doesn't fall flat down again,_ she jokingly thought to herself.

In a separate room, King and Marduk were getting ready for the match.

"Think you can take that Julia babe?" Marduk asked King.

"She's tough, but I'm sure I'll manage." King replied as he fastened his boots.

Marduk smiled smugly. "So, she's your friend, huh? Or is there something else secretly going on between you two?"

King looked at Marduk in annoyance. "We're just friends, Craig." he said.

"Yeah. Sure." Marduk said. King rolled his eyes and slid his arm guards on.

"Hey, could you do me a favor, Craig?" King said. "Don't tell Armor King I told you he has a crush on Julia. You know he has a grudge against me. If anyone else knew about it, he would kick my ass to hell and back."

"Sure thing, buddy. I won't tell him. Like I'd spare a measly minute of conversation with that moody dirt bag anyway." King laughed.

At long last, the time came for the wrestling tag teams to enter the ring. Julia was nervous at first when she started walking alongside Armor King towards the ring, afraid that the crowd would somehow see through her mask and identify her as an imposter. But Armor King was right, the fans took no notice that she was another woman and continued to cheer excitedly for her and the other wrestlers. She began to relax, gain confidence even. The tag teams reached the ring and quickly decided who would enter first.

King jumped in and started taunting the opposing team.

"Whattsa matter, huh buddies?" he said, slapping his rear end and grinning teasingly.

Armor King scoffed. "Showing off as always." he muttered. Shaking his head and sighing, he climbed into the ring, and the two luchadores faced off.

And the bell rang.

King went for a jump kick, which Armor King dodged. Armor King grabbed King and attempted to Tombstone him, but King broke out of it.

 _Oh, hell no!_ he thought to himself angrily. _I still remember when he did that to me just because I wanted to know who he was. There is no way he's doing that again!_

Fueled by anger, King landed a rolling elbow rush and a suplex on Armor King. The armor-clad luchadore tagged himself out, and Julia gracefully entered the ring. King's anger became concern. He knew Julia was strong and formidable, but he didn't want to hurt her.

He was completely surprised and caught off-guard when she did a hurricanrana and threw him across the ring. The landing knocked the wind out of him and he looked at Julia in shock and amazement as he caught his breath. Julia smiled, pleased by her friend's surprise.

Once King recovered, he tagged out, and Marduk took his place in the ring. The way he towered over Julia made him think Julia would tag out as well, but she stood her ground against the Vale Tudo fighter, managing to evade his attacks while landing a few herself.

The fight went on for sometime until King was taken out by Armor King's double flying kick and Marduk by a double neck breaker from both of the opposing team members. The crowd stood and cheered for them. Armor King held out his hand to Julia. She clasped it in her own, and the tag team nodded.

Armor King managed not to blush upon making contact with Julia.

End of Chapter Three


	4. The Past Rebounds

"Damn, King, we took a real beating out there." said Marduk. He and King were backstage, recovering from the match.

"I know." said King. "And Julia took me totally be surprise with that hurricanrana. I mean, I know she's a tough fighter, but it's like she pulled that move out of nowhere!"

Armor King joined them then. He looked at Marduk with mock sympathy.

"Aww, is someone bumming over his defeat?" he teasingly asked. "Too bad for you." He gave Marduk a thumbs down.

Marduk growled and whispered to King, "I so want to beat him senseless right now."

"And hopefully not kill him in the process." King whispered back.

Julia entered the backstage area. She took off her mask and shook her hair out, arousing Armor King and making his tail ever-so-slightly move from side to side. Marduk noticed the movement and stifled a chuckle. Armor King cautiously approached her.

"Um…uh…" he nervously stammered. Julia tilted her head in question. _Damn it, don't do that!_ he thought. _You look cute when you do that, and I'm trying to tell you that you did great out there!_ "Y-You…um, you, uh…"

"You're embarrassing yourself, man!" Marduk butted in. Armor King glared at him.

"You shut the hell up!" he shot back. He turned back to Julia, and his nervousness returned. "Um…you..did great, Julia." he finally got out.

Julia smiled. "Thanks, Armor." she said.

"Armor?" King said.

"Just something for short I thought I'd try out." Julia replied. She smirked at King. "Did I surprise you out there, King?"

"Hell yeah, Jules!" he exclaimed. "God, how the hell did you pull off that hurricanrana so smoothly?"

"You think I don't watch my friend fight all the time?"

"I'll say this, you sure made King look like he did before his mentor came to hold his hand." said Marduk.

"Oh, shut up, Craig!" King said, punching his arm, but he was laughing. All of them were. Except Armor King, who was put off at the mention of his older brother, King's mentor. Who Marduk killed in a bar brawl in Arizona.

Before the anger Armor King felt at the Vale Tudo fighter became visible, King asked, "Hey, can you guys help me with something tomorrow?"

"What is it, King?" Julia asked.

"One of the girls at the orphanage I run is having a birthday tomorrow." King explained. "The dahlias are in bloom, and she loves dahlias. She wants a bunch of bouquets at her party. Do you guys think you could help me gather a lot?"

"Sure, King. I'd be willing." Julia said. King knew she would; she loved nature.

"Me, too." said Marduk. They turned expectantly to Armor King.

The black jaguar-masked luchadore saw this as a wonderful opportunity to get to know Julia better, maybe try to impress her. "Count me in." he said.

"Awesome. Let's meet at the orphanage at ten a.m." said King.

Julia went to go change out of her costume. When she was out of hearing range, Armor King leaned in close to Marduk and growled, "I'm only doing this to be with Julia. The last thing I want to do is spend a day harvesting flowers with a murderous scum like you."

Marduk mimicked the luchadore's look. "If you ever call me murderous again, you're in for a life of pain." he said.

Armor King grunted, but didn't say anything. He turned and walked away, bumping shoulders with King in the process.

"Hijo de puta." King muttered under his breath, rubbing his shoulder. He turned to his friend. "Don't listen to him, Craig. He's just being an ass."

"Yeah, I know." said Marduk. He shook his head. "God, I hate that guy."

"You sure you still wanna help?" King asked. "You don't have to be around him if you don't want to."

"It's cool, King. If he doesn't have anything decent to say to me, I'm not gonna listen."

King smirked. "You do that, bro." he said. "See you." The clasped hands and parted.

The next morning, everyone met outside the orphanage. They entered and King led the others to the playroom, which was filled with happy, laughing children. One girl saw King standing in the entrance and happily called out to the others, "It's King!"

The other children's heads perked up, and when they saw their wrestling idol, they all cheered and surrounded him. King laughed.

"Hey there, my little angels." he said, giving them a group hug. Armor King, Marduk, and Julia stood off to the side, smiling at the adorable sight. King introduced them to the kids.

"So, where's the birthday girl?" he asked.

"Right here!" A black-haired, silver-eyed girl broke out of the group of children and smiled up at King.

"Silvia! Happy 9th Birthday, sweetie!"

"Thanks!" She looked at Armor King, Marduk, and Julia. "Are you guys going to help King gather dahlias for my party?"

"We sure are." Julia said with a smile.

Marduk patted her curly bob cut, making her giggle. "We'll be back when we get a bunch to brighten up your special day." He turned to King, Armor King, and Julia. "Well, let's get going."

King knew of a meadow not too far from the orphanage that produced gorgeous flowers year-round. Unfortunately, the road that lead there the quickest was closed off due to road work, forcing the group to take a longer route. King and Marduk walked in front, talking about small things, while Armor King and Julia lingered behind. Being so close to his crush, Armor King felt nervous to the point of discomfort. Nobody else made him this way but her. He felt like he should ask her something, try to learn about what she liked, but he couldn't get up the courage to.

King and Marduk's laughter up ahead broke him out of his nervousness. They were having an argument about something, but it wasn't serious, because they were laughing and shoving each other playfully. Armor King grunted in annoyance.

"My brother taught King everything he knows about wrestling, and he goes and befriends his killer?" He shook his head and narrowed his eyes at King. "What a traitor."

Julia gave Armor King a hard look. "That's my friend you're talking about." she said.

"Sorry." Armor King quickly said. He made a mental note not to say mean things about King around her.

King laughed at something Marduk said as they turned a corner. But what he saw made him stop in his tracks. Everyone else noticed and stopped, too.

"What's with you, King?" Marduk asked. When he didn't respond, everyone turned in the direction he was looking. Several yards away stood a tall tree adorned in large white flowers. Underneath it were two gravestones placed next to each other. Unaware of doing so, King walked quickly towards the tree, not hearing the others calling out to him. Confused, they decided to follow him.

King now stood before the tree and the gravestones. His mask took on a dazed look as mixed emotions warred within him, fighting for dominance. He walked closer so he could read the names on the gravestones.

 _Cornelio Mendoza._

 _Primavera Mendoza._

"My parents." he said, just loud enough for the others to hear.

"They were your parents?" Julia said. "Oh, King, I'm so sorry."

The memory came rushing back to King. He remembered training in the backyard. Seeing his mother answer the phone and receive the tragic news, and then share it with him. Crying in her arms. Walking to the funeral. His mother being shot. Him telling her to hold on. And watching helplessly as she slipped away...

Tears slid down King's mask as he let out a choked whimper. They came faster as the whimper became a full-fledged sob, and he sank down to his knees. Alarmed, Marduk and Julia got down to his level. Julia put her hand on King's shoulder.

"King, please don't cry." said Julia.

"It's okay, buddy." Marduk said, patting King on the back. "It's gonna be okay."

But their comforting words did nothing to soothe King's pain. He continued to sob, overwhelmed by sadness and grief. Armor King stood off to the side watching them, the disgust he felt for King earlier fading. He understood exactly how King felt.

Eventually, King cried himself out, and he and the others continued toward the meadow. More than anything, he wanted to distance himself from his parents' resting place and the memory of how he lost them all too soon.

 _An alien with green skin, glowing orange eyes, and wearing golden Aztec garbs roamed the Fallen Garden, which, by its name, was a garden of dead plant life. Dank clouds blocked the night sky, and dead tree leaves fell into the pond of purple slime. Ancient Ogre stopped, sensing negative emotions, pain, grief, sadness. He focused his mind and saw that the emotions were coming from King, who was crying over the loss of his parents._

 _"Tears of pain..." he said to himself._

 _From the slime rose a woman with short black hair and yellow eyes. Her naked body was covered in the stuff, and she bore the Devil Gene tattoo on her right arm. Unknown also sensed King's pain, and her evil relished it. She joined Ancient Ogre._

 _"Find him." he said. "Bring him here. Prolong his suffering."_


	5. From Bad to Worse

After Silvia's party, King and the others went to visit Jaycee in the hospital. She had watched Julia fight in her place yesterday, and she thanked Julia profoundly, even complimenting her strength. She then announced that her leg would be fully heal in a few days and she would be back in wrestling in no time.

As Jaycee chatted with Armor King, Julia side glanced at King. Ever since they came across his parents' graves, she wondered if he would be alright. He was smiling, but it was rather weak, and his eyes showed hollowness and detachment. She put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a confident smile. He just nodded wordlessly in return, only increasing her worry for him.

Julia was not the only one concerned about King's emotional stability. As they were walking home that evening, Marduk made a few attempts to lighten King's mood by telling a few jokes, but he only responded with his weak smile and a barely audible chuckle. Marduk and Julia cast each other worried looks.

Even Armor King was worried. Although he disliked King for forgiving Marduk for murdering his brother, he knew exactly what the pain of losing a beloved family member felt like, so he understood what King might've been going through. He also felt horrible seeing Julia so worried. He gathered the courage to take her hand, electricity coursing through him at the feel of her touch. She looked up at him in surprise.

"He'll be okay." Armor King said. "He's tough. You know that."

His kindness made Julia feel a little better and she smiled. "Of course he will." she said. She gently squeezed his hand, surprising him and making him blush a little. He was thankful it was dark enough for her not to see it.

"Thanks for your help today, guys." King said a little flatly when they arrived at his house. "I'll see you all later." He turned to open the door.

"Are you okay, King?" Julia blurted out. "I mean, will you be okay."

"Oh, yeah. I'll be fine." he attempted to say lightly. "Be seeing you." He went inside, leaving everyone feeling uneasy.

The next day, they were all back in the ring. King and Marduk went up against a pair of wrestlers and won. Marduk noticed that King seemed much more cheerful than yesterday; he was waving excitedly to the crowd and smiling widely. He felt relief coursing through him as he thought that this was a sign of King moving on, forgetting about the loss of his parents.

But when Marduk went to join him in the locker room, he was proven wrong. King was sitting on a bench with his back to his friend, and he could hear him softly crying.

"Hey, buddy." Marduk said, sitting down next to him. He put a hand on his shoulder and smiled kindly at him.

"I'm fine." King said, wiping his tears away. "Really, I am. I just…"

"Yeah, I know." They were quiet for a while, until they heard someone walk in. They turned and saw Armor King approaching them. Instead of greeting King was disdain and Marduk with hostility, he sat down on King's other side and put a comforting hand on his back. The friends both stared in surprise, not used to seeing Armor King act so kindly.

"I remember feeling this way, too," he began softly, "after I lost my brother. I kept scolding myself for crying so much, because I knew crying wouldn't bring him back." He smiled at King, again catching them both by surprise. "But you know what? Sometimes it's good to cry, to just let it all out."

King remembered the moment when he was given the news about his father, the shock and sadness that followed. And the very next day, when his mother was shot and killed right before his eyes. He leaned forward and buried his mask in his guarded hands as he began to sob. Marduk and Armor King did their best to comfort him as he let his pain loose. When he finally finished, he wiped away his tears one last time and softly thanked them both for their kindness, then he stood up to leave the locker room.

Just as he entered the hallway, he bumped into Julia. She smiled at him, but he just walked off, averting his eyes. Marduk and Armor King joined her, and the three of them looked after the grief-stricken luchadore.

"Oh, King." Julia said sadly. She looked about to cry.

"Don't worry, Julia." Armor King said. "We'll help him get past this, I promise." He smiled down at her. "Him having such a good friend like you will definitely help."

Julia smiled back and, to the men's surprise, wrapped her arms around the luchadore and rested her head against his armor. His eyes widened and his mask began to heat up, but he automatically returned Julia's embrace, giving her the comfort she needed. Marduk smirked at Armor King's arousal, who gave him a sullen look in return.

King went through the day hiding his negative emotions. When he finally arrived home that evening, he sat down on his bed and thought about how he had been handling things since he encountered his parents' graves. He had been so sad, so dispirited, not feeling like himself at all. Deep down, he knew this wasn't what his parents would've wanted. They would want him to live his life to the fullest, to make their deaths count. Not to let himself drown in grief, which was what he was doing right now.

Suddenly, strange shadows began to sweep over him. Every square inch of the room was darkened by an ominous presence. He stood up, alarmed and confused by what was happening.

A purple portal opened up on the floor, and from it rose Unknown. Her yellow eyes pierced into King, and she smiled evilly and reached out to him. He stood frozen in place, trembling with fear.

"P-Please, stay away…" he choked out.

Unknown lunged forward to grab him, but he dodged her just in time.

"Get away from me!" he screamed, and without thinking, picked up one of his heaviest dumbbells. He threw it at the demonic woman, but she swerved out of its range and it broke through the window and fell to the pavement outside.

This time, she managed to grab King. He struggled in vain against her lock, and screamed as she pulled him down through the portal.

As it closed, it left behind a drop of the purple slime that covered Unknown's body.


	6. The Agonizing Ordeal

"Poor King, man." Marduk said sadly. He, Armor King, and Julia were going to stop by his house to see how he was doing.

Julia nodded in agreement. "We never should've taken that other route." she said. "We wouldn't have found his parents' graves. He would've stayed cheerful and positive, like he always is." She shook her head. "I can't imagine what he's going through."

"I can." Armor King said grimly.

An item on the sidewalk ahead of them caught their attention. As they drew closer, they saw that it was a dumbbell, and shards of glass were scattered around it. The sight confused them until they looked up and saw the broken window of King's bedroom. It looked as though the dumbbell had been thrown from it.

Panic started to rise in the three. They raced up to the doorway, and Marduk knocked loudly.

"King?!" he called fearfully. "King, are you home?!" No answer. Safe in the knowledge that King let his friends in any time, they hurried inside, up the stairs, and burst open the door to his room. It was perfectly intact, except for the broken window. Nothing to suggest something might've happened.

Except for one thing.

Something on the floor caught Julia's eye. She knelt down and stuck her finger into the drop of purple liquid, then examined it closely. It was almost transparent and seemed to be shifting in place. There seemed to be nothing natural about, and this lead Julia to confirm what they all had been dreading.

"He's been kidnapped." They called the police.

 _Fallen Garden_

King took in ragged breaths as he struggled to control his fear. He tugged sharply on his restraints, only for the golden chains to tighten around his body, hugging him closer to the dead tree he was tied to. That was what happened every time he tried to break free, but he had become delirious from the fear, although he never thought it would be possible for him.

His already-racing heart accelerated when Ancient Ogre and Unknown approached him. Unknown was hiding something behind her back, which didn't help King's extreme fear.

"P-Please, let me go." he begged. "L-Let me go. Please…"

But, of course, that wasn't going to happen.

Ancient Ogre raised his hand up toward King, and suddenly his vision blacked out. The world had faded to complete darkness. Unable to orient himself, King stood frozen in dread and anticipation of what his kidnappers were about to do to him.

He cried out as he felt a sharp stab of pain in his left arm. From the source of the pain, he felt something enter him, coursing through his bloodstream. Then the pain faded, and his vision was restored to normal. Ancient Ogre and Unknown hadn't moved, at least not since his eyesight blacked out.

"W-What did you do?" he asked them.

As if on cue, King felt pain again. But it wasn't sharp, it was more like an ache, and it was in his stomach. He groaned as he felt the pain rise, then he started to cough. The coughing turned to a spasm, and then his gag reflex triggered.

He leaned forward as blood erupted from the mouthpart of his mask. The pain was everywhere in his body now, and was so intense it brought tears to his eyes. The sounds of retching and sobbing combined to make something of pure sadness and pain. Something unheard of, and should never be heard.

After what seemed like an eternity, the vomiting stopped and the pain faded. King slumped back against the tree, feeling too tired to sob anymore. He could feel his exhaustion start to take over, pull him into a deep sleep. But before drifting off, he managed to call out ever-so-quietly,

"Please come save me, guys. Please….."

Julia, Marduk, and Armor King stood in the research lab with Lei Wulong, Dr. Boskonovitch, and his android daughter, Alisa. The Russian scientist examined the sample of the purple liquid through a microscope. For a few moments, they stood in silence. Then Dr. Boskonovitch looked up and asked his daughter to bring him the correct book.

As he flipped through the pages, Lei asked the group, "So, the liquid was the only evidence you found?"

"It was all that looked out of place." Julia said. "Aside from the broken window and the dumbbell on the sidewalk."

"Our guess is he threw it at his kidnapper and it broke through the window." Marduk added. He shook his head. "He must've been real scared." The others nodded in solemn agreement.

"Ah, here it is." Dr. Boskonovitch tapped a column on page 68, then began reading the passage to the group. "This purple slime is located in what is called the Fallen Garden. It is not well-known where the Fallen Garden is actually located, or how to get there. Someone with some sort of connection to it may know, but if they do, they have not revealed it."

"I bet they'd tell us," said Armor King, "if we explained what's going on. I bet they'd want to help us."

Lei nodded. "But who could have a connection to the Fallen Garden?"

Alisa began searching her databanks for the desired persons. Having found one, she announced, "Jun Kazama, sentry of the Fallen Garden's purified counterpart, the Heavenly Garden. Her darker side takes up residence in the Fallen Garden. There is a chance she may know of a way in."

"Sounds like out best shot." said Lei. He took out his walkie talkie. "This is Wulong. King's friends and I are proceeding to the Heavenly Garden. Send backup in case we need it." He turned to the group. "Be prepared if we have to fight."

"Got it." said Marduk.

 _Hang on, King,_ Armor King thought as they went. _We're coming to save you._

 _Fallen Garden_

King woke from his slumber to weakness and lightheadedness. His mind was so foggy he almost didn't remember what had happened to him. But he saw a pool of blood on the dead grass before him, and his terrible fear from before cut through his befuddled mind, making an icy feeling of dread run through his body.

He remembered he was captured and trapped by an Aztec alien monster and a demonic woman, and they were gradually killing him.

He froze in fear when they appeared again, looking just as secretive and evil as before. Ancient Ogre held up his hand again, and King's vision turned black once more. The stab of pain shot into the same place on his arm, releasing something into his system, and his vision returned to normal.

"No. Please, not again."

His pleas would've been in vain even before his kidnappers' assault.

He trembled in fear as the ache in his stomach returned, increasing until he started to cough. Then he started to vomit what seemed like twice as much blood as last time. The pain was even worse than before, and he sobbed as his blood poured out of him. Throughout all of it, he managed to form a single thought.

 _Just let me die._

He sank down the tree's roots when he finally stopped vomiting, no longer having the strength to hold himself up. Having lost so much blood, he felt weaker than he had ever been. And the hope of his friends rescuing him that he had gripped so tightly was quickly fading away.

Before drifting off to sleep again, he whispered his pitiful, heart-breaking thought to himself.

"Just..let me…die….."

Weakness.

That was all he knew, all he felt.

He had not even an ounce of strength left in his abused body. He was far too weak and exhausted to fight his way free or even feel. Some time ago, fear dominated his entire being, his hope of rescue burned inside him like fire. Now both of those were gone, replace with an impossibly heavy lethargy brought on by a massive loss of blood.

He didn't want freedom anymore. He wanted his misery to end.

Or to put it better, he wanted to die.

His wish was granted when his kidnappers came up to him. This time, he did not beg for his freedom. Instead, he said in a flat, almost inaudible voice so unlike what it used to be,

"Just kill me."

Then he closed his eyes, awaiting his end.

Suddenly, the piercing sound of gunshots filled the air. Bullets caught Ancient Ogre and Unknown both in the gut, and they hunched over in pain, but remained standing. Through his blurred vision, King could make out Armor King and Lei Wulong fighting with his kidnappers. Marduk and Julia ran up to his sides.

"King?" He could barely hear his best friend's voice even though he was right beside him. He managed to look up and could see worry on his and Julia's faces. "Are you okay? Can you talk to us?"

All he got out was a weak moan.

"Craig, look at this." Julia said. She was pointing to the grass soaked with King's blood.

"Damn, that's a lot of blood." Marduk said, his voice shaking. They turned their attention back to King as he moaned again. "Hang in there, buddy. You're gonna be okay."

Ancient Ogre collapsed-having been defeated in the fight-and the gold chains wrapped around King rusted and fell away. Marduk and Julia caught him when he started to fall forward, then Marduk gently picked him up and carried him in his arms.

As King was carried away from his dark prison, he wondered if he was dreaming. Nothing felt real. Even the elation of finally, _finally_ being rescued didn't affect him in any way. His extreme weakness prevented him from feeling any sort of emotion.

The last thing he remembered before blacking out was Armor King catching up and saying something encouraging to him.


	7. Living in the Light

They burst through the double doors of the hospital and rushed to the lobby desk, where a nurse was waiting.

"Nurse, we need help right away!" Lei said, gesturing to King, who was still unconscious in Marduk's arms. "He's lost a lot of blood, and he's very weak."

"Over here." the nurse said calmly, and led them to a gurney that a medical crew had brought in. Marduk gently laid King down on it, and as they swiftly wheeled it down the hall the doctor questioned Lei and the others on what happened.

"We found him chained to a tree." said Julia. "There was blood everywhere, but we couldn't find any wounds."

"He might've been hemorrhaging." said the doctor. He ordered his team, "Prepare for a transfusion." He asked King's friends, "Do any of you know his blood type?"

"It's A." said Marduk.

"Please wait out here." the doctor said once they reached their destination. He pointed to a bench outside the door. "I'll come out and talk to you when the transfusion is finished." We went in after his team and closed the door behind him.

Julia sat down and put her face in her hands. Armor King sat down beside her and put his arm around her. He could feel her trembling, and hear her shuddering breaths.

"Julia?" he said uncertainly.

"I can't lose him." she said quietly.

"Hey, you don't think _I'm_ worried?" Marduk said, taking a seat at Julia's other side. "He's my best friend."

"He was so weak when we found him. He'd lost so much blood." The sight of tears running down her face made Armor King hurt. "What if he-"

"Stop." Armor King said gently but firmly. "We can't think of the possibility that he might not make it. We have to hope that he _will_ make it."

"He's right." said Lei, who leaned against the wall. "We have to keep our hopes high for King's sake, and we can't do that if we think of losing him."

Julia nodded and wiped her tears away. "You're right. I'm sorry." she said. She rested against Armor King's side and took his hand. And when he pulled her closer, he realized he was no longer nervous. Maybe it was because they were all so worried about King. Or maybe, having spent so much time with her, his nervousness had lost its control over him. Whatever the case, he was finally feeling confident around the woman he liked, and he was almost happy.

Almost.

Inside, the doctors worked swiftly but carefully. After gathering the right amount of Type-A blood, they inserted an IV into King's blood vessel via needle. The heart monitor connected to him registered his heart rate, which was dangerously slow.

"Hurry, team." the lead doctor ordered. "He can't last much longer. He needs blood right away."

But right before the stream of healthy blood entered his veins, the green line on the monitor that showed King's heart rate flattened, and the steady rhythm of beeps became a single, unending one.

His heart had stopped.

The head doctor was alarmed, but wasted no time. He rubbed two defibrillators together and set the electric currant to a high level. He pressed them to King's chest, yelled "Clear!" and sent the electric shock through his body, hoping to restart his heart. But it didn't work. He tried it again, with the electricity set to a higher level, again without success. He restlessly continued the process for sometime, hoping against all odds to bring King back.

 _White light surrounded him when he opened his eyes. It was very bright, but not so much that he couldn't see. As his vision focused, he could see a white door several feet in front of him. With a grunt, he pushed himself to his feet._

 _He was in a large empty room. The walls, floor, and ceiling appeared to glow white. Turning around, he could see another door an equal distance behind him as the one in front. And he was all alone, not a single person was in the room besides himself._

 _"Hello?" he called out. "Hello? Can anyone hear me?"_

 _The door across from him opened, and a woman entered. King didn't see her face at first because it was covered by the light of what appeared to be a vast white void behind her. The light faded as she closed the door, and King's eyes widened in realization._

 _The woman looked exactly like him. Tan skin, dark hair, green eyes. He knew who she was. He also knew that her standing before him now was impossible. But there she was. A smile broke out on his mask, and his eyes filled with happy tears._

 _"Mama." he said._

 _It was his mother, Primavera Mendoza._

 _"Hello, Rey." she said with a wide smile. She walked up to him, and mother and son embraced. King started to cry with joy, having thought he would never feel his mother's touch again. He didn't know how she was here now-he watched her die. But for the moment, he didn't have a care in the world._

 _Primavera pulled away and looked King up and down. "Oh, look at you, son." she said happily. "You're so big and strong."_

 _"Mama, how are you here?" King asked. "You died."_

 _Primavera's smiled faded and her face turned grim. "This is the division between Heaven and the living world." she said, gesturing to the room they were in. "Beyond the door I came through lies Heaven, and beyond the other, the living world. Your spirit is here now, while your body is still out there. You're here because your heart stopped before the doctors could begin the blood transfusion. They're trying to revive you."_

 _This was undoubtedly a lot for King to take in._

 _"I mostly came to warn you, Rey. Listen," Primavera took his hands and looked him urgently in the eye, "you can't follow us."_

 _"What?" The idea of losing his family again was too painful to bear. "Mama, I-"_

 _"You can't die, Rey. Not now and not like this. It was too soon for Papa and me, and it's too soon for you."_

 _King thought of all the little ones in the orphanage who were counting on him to keep it going, and all his fans in wrestling, and his friends who were waiting for him to be brought back, probably worried to death-and he realized Primavera was right. It wasn't his time. It was nowhere near his time._

 _For the sake of his parents and everyone else he held dear in the world, he had to be strong and move on._

 _"Alright, Mama. I won't follow you." he said._

 _"And Rey, promise me and Papa something." Primavera added. "Promise us that you won't grieve our deaths. That you'll live your life to the fullest to make our deaths count."_

 _"I will. Of course I will."_

 _"And always know..." Primavera's smile returned and she held King by the arms. "Always know that we're so proud of you."_

 _King returned his mother's smile and hugged her, tears sliding down his mask._

 _"Te quiero, Mama."_

 _"Yo tambien te amo, hijo."_

 _King pulled away and walked toward the door behind him. He grabbed the knob, took one last look at his mother, and stepped back into the living world._

"Clear!"

The endless monotone beep on the heart monitor finally went back to a steady flow of beats per minute. The head doctor had succeeded in restarting King's heart.

"He's back." he said with obvious relief, and the energy in the room relaxed.

King opened his eyes, though his vision was a blur. He faintly registered the needle in his arm. He felt a liquid seep into his bloodstream. Then, gradually, his extreme weakness began to fade away. His vision cleared, and King could see the head doctor standing over him.

"Can you hear me?" he asked. King slowly nodded yes. "He's responsive." the head doctor said to his team. "Good work, everyone." He turned back to King. "Would you like to see your friends now?"

King nodded again, even managing a small smile. He was absolutely eager to see Marduk, Julia, and even Armor King again. The head doctor stepped out into the hallway, where everyone was waiting. They stood up, anticipating his announcement.

"He made it." he said. They all heaved sighs of relief. "You can see him now."

"I have to go, actually." said Lei. "Places to go, crimes to solve. I'm glad to have helped you."

"We're thankful for your help." Julia said. The she, Marduk, and Armor King entered the room. The team of doctors walked out so they could see their friend in private.

"King!" Marduk said happily, walking quickly to his friend's side. "Thank everything, thank _everything_ you're okay!"

"We were worried sick." Julia added. "How do you feel?"

Instead of answering her question, King said what he was thinking.

"I saw my Mama."

His voice was still weak, but his friends managed to pick it up. "You did?" Armor King asked.

"I was in a white room with two doors. One led to Heaven, where she came from, and the other led to here, the living world. She told me not to follow her and Papa, that it wasn't my time. I couldn't bare the thought of losing them again, but I remembered I had people who cared about me, like you guys, and I knew I couldn't just leave you like that. So I went back to the living world."

"Wow." said Julia, and Marduk and Armor King nodded in agreement, looks of awe on their faces.

Nothing more could be said to describe what King had experienced.

King closed his eyes, feeling tired again.

"We should let him rest, guys." Armor King said. Julia and Marduk got up to go, but Armor King lingered, watching his rival. Actually, it didn't feel like they were rivals anymore, at least not in a bitter way. Armor King leaned in close to King and said softly,

"You"ll never lose your parents, King. You never have. They'll always be with you. No matter what."

He left, leaving King smiling with genuine happiness at what he had just said. He could almost hear them say to him in his head,

 _"Siempre estaremos contigo, hijo."_


	8. Deceased, But Never Lost

King spent a week in the hospital, recuperating. Marduk, Julia, and Armor King came every day to check on him and bring him endless Get Well cards from the children in the orphanage. They and King's fellow wrestlers had been informed of his capturing and torturing, and soon it was being talked about on the news quite frequently. Everyone, it seemed, was wishing him a speedy recovery. The only thing he dreaded was the inevitable tidal wave of questions asking if he was alright.

After about four days, the head doctor allowed King to walk around for a brief period each day. As King swung his legs off the side of his hospital bed, Marduk noticed something.

"Ah, King, you've lost your bulk!" he said, sounding just a little upset.

King perked up, surprised. "I have?" He stood and walked over to the mirror on the opposite wall.

Marduk was right. The well-defined muscles that dominated King's body were gone. Without them, his now moderate-sized frame looked almost delicate. King looked at his shrunken reflection with complete amazement and bewilderment.

"Wow." he whispered. It was all he could say.

"It must've been caused by him losing all that blood." Julia said.

"Probably." Marduk agreed. He patted King's back. "There, there, you can build those back up when you get better."

King didn't seem to hear him; he was totally absorbed in watching his transformation. "You won't get any buffer if you just look at yourself." Armor King teased.

King shook his head, as though snapping out of a trance. "Sorry. It's just...you know."

"Yeah. We know."

As King's friends were leaving the hospital, Julia took Armor King's hand.

"I just wanted to say thank you." she said. "For being there for King. And for helping me stay strong during all that trouble."

"You're welcome, Julia." Armor King said with a smile. An actual, genuine smile. "To be honest, this whole experience has made me start to see King differently. Aside from the fact that he's friends with my brother's killer, he seems like a pretty cool guy. Maybe I shouldn't have judged him so harshly before I got to see him for who he really is."

Julia suddenly stopped walking. And before Armor King could ask her what was wrong, she stood on her tiptoes and planted a light kiss on his cheek. Armor King looked at her in surprise. Her face showed happiness, gratitude, and affection.

"You have no idea how happy I am that you finally understand that." she said.

With his heart skipping, Armor King and Julia walked trough the hospital hallways hand-in-hand. Marduk followed a few yards behind them, and this time he didn't try to taunt Armor King for his feelings for Julia. He was far too happy for them, and he knew King would be, too.

 _Nine months later_

"Hey, King. Bell rings in five minutes. Ya ready?"

Marduk poked his head into the locker room his friend was prepping in. His body was restored to its former glory, the strong, dominant muscles having been worked back out. He had completed his wrestling gear with a fur cape, and was now feeling confident and capable, just like he always was when it came to wrestling.

"I'm always ready for a match, Craig." King said to his friend.

He was intercepted as he went to enter the ring. It was Armor King, his newest friend.

"I know you don't need it," he said, "but good luck out there."

"Thanks. How are you and Julia?"

"We're pretty serious right now. I think I'm gonna purpose soon."

"Awesome. Just let me know when you do. And promise you'll take good care of her, ya got that?"

Armor King laughed. "Of course I'll take care of her, dude. I've been doing that for months."

"Just being a caring friend."

"Right. Well, see ya, man." Armor King walked off.

The announcer began to call the wrestlers into the ring. As King waved to the overly-excited crowd, he could hear the voices of his parents speaking to him.

 _We're so proud of you, son. And remember, we'll always be with you._

 _Thanks, Mama and Papa. I know you'll always watch over me, no matter what._

The famous luchadore removed his cape, and the match began.

The End


End file.
